Media Release

Alberta Party Responds to Bills 45 and 46

November 28, 2013

Edmonton – The Alberta government tabled legislation on Wednesday which will impose a wage settlement on the 22,000 member Alberta Union of Public Employees if a settlement cannot be reached by Jan. 31, 2014.

It also tabled bill 45, which imposes steep fines and civil liabilities in the event that the union takes illegal strike action, and a motion has also been tabled to have the bills fast-tracked and passed through the legislature within days.

The Alberta Party recognizes that the PC government likely thought that from a taxpayer point of view they were doing what is right, re: Bills 45 and 46, but how they have sought to achieve it is sadly lacking. The government has created an adversarial relationship with the public sector.

Alberta needs its work force to be engaged, working hard and producing at its very best. Unfortunately, this top down imposition of terms has created further division between these many thousands of Albertans and their government, emphasizing once again how badly Alberta needs another moderate political alternative.

The Alberta Party is adamant that the government’s role is to unify and to collaborate with all stakeholders in the best interests of all Albertans, finding reasonable solutions to the issues facing us today, and in the future. We support the public sector’s right to collectively bargain and believe that open, honest efforts conducted in a timely manner will result in resolutions that are acceptable to all concerned.